After introducing the C-HR, Toyota found that subcompact crossovers with weird-ish styling are all the rage these days in most markets around the world. The sales charts don’t lie, and as a consequence of the rising demand for this type of vehicle, the TNGA-C platform has been borrowed by Lexus to create the UX.
Over in North America, the UX serves both as the smallest crossover in the lineup and as a replacement for the CT. In truth, the Urban Explorer does look like a hatchback on stilts with black cladding around the wheel arches to bring the point home.
Kelley Blue Book took the UX for a spin, and there are good points and bad points. As with most vehicles in this segment and at this price point, the good outweighs the bad, and therefore Kelley Blue Book is much obliged to give the thumbs up to Lexus.
The sloping roofline translates to not as much headroom as you’d find in the C-HR, and there are parts of the cabin where the luxury automaker could’ve done better. On the upside, the pricing is competitive even against German rivals and the list of powertrain options isn’t half bad.
Compared to the $36,385 NX, the UX 200 retails at $32,000 plus $1,025 for destination and delivery. The UX 250h serves as the range-topping variant at $34,000 plus delivery, and regardless of trim level, the subcompact crossover comes equipped with lots of convenience as standard.
The 2.0-liter engine in the UX 200 delivers 169 horsepower to the front wheels while the UX 250h combines internal combustion with electric motors and all-wheel drive. Over 45 miles per hour, the hybrid turns into a front-wheel-drive vehicle because Lexus developed the e-AWD to provide additional traction at lower speeds. But most importantly, driving in all-wheel drive at high speeds ruins the fuel economy.
Combined EPA rating for the hybrid is 38 miles per gallon, which Lexus claims is best in class. The 2.0-liter in the UX 200 manages 33 miles to the gallon. Of course, Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 sweetens the deal with standard features such as forward collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist detection, emergency braking, lane keeping and departure warning, the whole nine yards.
For the F Sport package, prepare to pony up an additional $2,000.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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